Rich Brian / Rich Chigga
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About
Rich Brian (formerly "Rich Chigga" and "Brian") is the stage name of Brian Imanuel, the Indonesian rapper and internet comedian who rose to international fame with the release of his viral debut single "Dat $tick" on YouTube in March 2016.
Online History
In 2010, Imanuel began pursuing his interests in comedy. In 2013, Imanuel made his first breakthrough after launching his Vine account, garnering hundreds of thousands of loops through his short comedic sketches. On April 8th, 2014, Imanuel created his YouTube channel. One of his earliest videos to garner attention was “Suicide Hotline,” a dark comedy sketch in which he plays a married man wanting to commit suicide.
Rap Career
Imanuel released his debut track "Living the Dream" via his personal YouTube account on July 17th, 2015, which has been since removed from the channel. On February 22nd, 2016, Imanuel uploaded the music video of his single "Dat $tick" to the YouTube channel. In the music video, Rich Chigga is seen rapping in cargo shorts with a fanny pack around his waist. Upon its premiere on YouTube, the music video went viral, gaining several millions of views within the first six months. Following its online success, "Dat $tick" was formally released as Rich Chigga's debut digital single on Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud on March 11th. The song eventually peaked at #4 Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in June 2016.
Rappers React to "Dat $tick"
On June 12th, 2016, 88rising, the U.S.-based online media and talent management company behind Imanuel, released a reaction video featuring a group of rappers, including Desiigner, Cam'ron, Ghostface Killah, 21 Savage and MadeinTYO, all of whom praised Imanuel's music video for its ironic humor, as well as his lyrical flow.
On August 9th, 2016, Imanuel released his second single "Who That Be" on iTunes. On October 12th, 2016, 88rising released a remix edition of "Dat $tick" featuring Ghostface Killah and Pouya. Within the first year, the video garnered more than 11 million views.
On December 21st, 2016, Imanuel released his third single "Seventeen" via his Soundcloud and YouTube channels, quickly surpassing one million views within the first 60 days.
Name Change to "Rich Brian"
On January 2, 2018, he announced that his stage name will now be "Brian" instead of "Rich Chigga," noting that his former name was "a mistake." A few days after this tweet, he changed his name again to "Rich Brian."
Yes I now go by “Brian”. I have been planning to do this forever and I’m so happy to finally do it. I was naive & I made a mistake. new year, new beginning, happy new years™️
— Rich Brian (@richbrian) January 1, 2018
Reputation
Shortly after the release of "Dat $tick," hip hop critics characterized Imanuel's style of music as "ironic" and "gruff yet agile." Despite the running themes of humor and self-aware irony in his early works, Imanuel has since tried to distance himself from being a comedic rapper with more serious singles like "Seventeen" and "Glow like Dat." In various interviews, Imanuel has cited Young Thug, Tyler The Creator, Childish Gambino and Yung Lean as his influences.
Online Presence
On August 15th, 2010, at age of 10, Imanuel created his Twitter account, where he would upload photoshopped images, including a picture of himself wearing a sweatshirt with the n-word while standing next to President Obama. In 2013, Imanuel launched his Vine account, where he found his first break in online comedy by racking up hundreds of thousands of views. In April 2014, Imanuel began sharing his Vine clips to his newly created YouTube channel. As of October 2017, Rich Chigga's official Facebook page has more than 551,100 followers.
Personal Life
Brian Imanuel was born in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 2nd, 1999. Along with his four siblings, Imanuel was homeschooled in Jakarta and self-taught English by browsing the English-speaking web. Prior to his hip hop career taking off, Imanuel wanted to pursue a career in cinematography. Imanuel currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where he has been staying on visa to work on the recording of his forthcoming debut album.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Vine – Brian Imanuel
[2] YouTube – Brian Imanuel
[3] Twitter – Brian Imanuel
[4] Facebook – Rich Chigga
[5] Tumblr – Rich Chigga
[6] Soundcloud – Rich Chigga
[7] Genius – Dat $tick Lyrics
[9] The Daily Dot – Is Rich Chigga serious?
fn10 .TIME – Meet Brian Imanuel, Alias Rich Chigga, the 17-Year-Old Indonesian Rapper Who Hacked the World
[11] XXL Magazine – GHOSTFACE KILLAH, DESIIGNER AND MORE REACT TO ASIAN RAPPER RICH CHIGGA
[12] Complex – Desiigner, Cam'ron, and More Rappers React to Rich Chigga's Bizarre "Dat $tick" Video
[13] New Yorker – Rich Chigga and the Difficulties of Keeping It Real
[14] Pitchfork – Inside 88rising, the Company Behind Rich Chigga and His Asian Rap Comrades
[15] Billboard – Search Results for 'Rich Chigga'
[16] Fader – Rich Chigga: I Wasn’t Trying To Offend Anyone
[17] Highsnobiety – A Brief History of Rich Chigga’s Unlikely Come Up
[18] Hip Hop Wired – Rich Chigga’s “Dat $tick” Is The Latest Goofball Viral Sensation
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